Montessori School of Greater Lafayette Blog

Insights and inspiration from our Montessori classrooms.

The weather forecast calls for all of this snow to be melting in about a week. In case you think you just can't wait that long, here are some photos of MSGL summers past to see you through.

1994 - Digging in the tiny sandbox at Morton Center.

2000 - Hula hooping at Morton Center.

2001 - Hi Cathy!

2002 - The Parent/Infant class posing by the sandbox.

2003 - Waiting for a wagon ride.

2009 - Sack racing at the family picnic at Happy Hollow Park.

2010 - Releasing a newly-emerged Monarch butterfly.

2011 - Summer camp besties.

2012 - Shoveling in the shady sandbox.

2013 - Gardening at summer camp.

It will only be a few more days until warmer, friendlier weather arrives. Until then, take heart! Spring never fails to arrive.

Have a terrific Wednesday.

Related Posts

Wayback Wednesday: 1998 - Peter Cottontails and Banana Bombs

1998 was a big year for MSGL because we announced our expansion so we received lots of media coverage. This week's Wayback Wednesday post features another story from the Lafayette Journal and Courier. On July 7th, a story about our summer camp cooking class filled the 4 Kidz Only page. (I love that the J&C embraced phonetic spelling!)

The photos are beautiful and the children's quotes, especially about date math, are really sweet.

Featured teacher,Revati Nemaniis still with MSGL today in the Catalpa class. The children featured in this article are now in college. Are any of them studying to be chefs? We would love to know. If you know Alie Magnante, Daniel Plesniak, Asher Bogdanove, or Andrew Staiger, please pass this along. It would be great to hear from them.

And maybe you and your young ones will give one of these recipes a go? We would love to hear about that, too.

Wayback Wednesday: Taking a winter break

Winter is upon us and the staff of the Wayback Wednesday department is preparing to head south for the season. (The staff certainly wishes this was true.) Okay, we're not really going anywhere but we have discovered a treasure trove of awesome photos. We will be scanning them and organizing them over winter break. When everyone returns in January you can look forward to the beginning of "Building MSGL." It's the story of how our families built the MSGL campus that we know and love today.

To whet your appetites I am posting one photo from that winter of 2000. Look at this photo and see if you can figure out where in the school it is. The first commenter to get it correct wins a free Wayback Wednesday t-shirt. (The staff certainly wishes this was true.) Okay, no t-shirt but you can still be first. Have fun guessing!

Have a terrific Wednesday and an awesome winter break!

Wayback Wednesday: 2000 - Toilet Troubles

It's been a long week for everyone at MSGL and it's only Wednesday. The roots of our beloved river birch tree, which shaded the sandbox for more than 10 years, finally overtook the sewage pipe coming from Building A. The tree was cut down, the sandbox was dug up, and the lovely pergola that Ron Stier designed and built to shade the children has been dismantled. This is the sight today as workers remove roots and begin to repair the pipe. As luck would have it, we received 3 inches of snow this morning so classes were cancelled.

It's not a pretty sight right now on the playground. (Photo by Tony Harvey)

Yesterday, we said goodbye to the river birch tree.

The river birch comes down, one limb at a time. (Photo by Lena Atkinson)

But this is Wayback Wednesday and we have to go way back. So let's take a look back at how we got here. This is the sandbox under construction in 2001. The river birch was planted later that year. It probably seemed like a really good idea at the time.

2001 - Sandbox under construction.

Two years later the children are enjoying the new sandbox. The birch tree is wrapped in black at top left.

2002

Miss Sherry and friends enjoy the shade of the river birch and the pergola during summer camp in 2010.

2010
.

And here is a nice photo of the whole area from Summer, 2011.

2011

Certainly one of the most popular areas in our outdoor classroom, the sandbox is going to be sorely missed until it can be reconstructed. But even as we lament this loss, it's good to remember that things could be worse. Back in September, 2007, this was the view outside of Building A.

2007 - Old toilets being removed during demolition of Building A.

Take heart, friends. The water will soon be flowing in Building A and children will once again play in a shady sandbox. And Spring is only eight days away. Have the best possible Wednesday!

~ Heather

Wayback Wednesday: 2000 - May I Borrow Your Jackhammer?

This week's installment of Building MSGL focuses on the work of the jackhammer, a tool that was put to much use during the first few months of the construction project. Lots of concrete had to be broken up and hauled away so we could remodel the buildings and install new steps and sidewalks.

Tony Harvey breaks up concrete in Building B to make space for new plumbing for sinks and bathrooms. This was one of his least favorite days of the entire 6-month project.

Looking at Building A as the concrete demolition gets underway.

Later that day, it looked like this. Watch that first step - it's a doozy.

Don Harvey and Craig Lamb prepare to take out the upstairs landing.

As the demolition continued, it became apparent that the light-duty jackhammer they had been using was not going to cut through some of the steps. One parent volunteer took a look at the slow progress they were making and set off to find a better solution. Half and hour later he pulled in with a trailer-mounted mobile air compressor and a much more powerful jackhammer. Tony Harvey said that was a real game-changer for this phase of the project.

"We had a little jackhammer that you could plug into an outlet in an airplane bathroom," he joked. "This parent came back with a rig that looked like Iron Man built it. When we flipped the switch on the big one you could see lights flicker in the apartments across the street," he said, once again, joking. "We had been working all day on those steps and in just 20 minutes with the big hammer, they were dust."

The old steps are broken up to make way for the new stairs/ramp that will lead into the upstairs hallway in Building A.

Just for fun, I am including before, during, and after photos from Building A so we can admire the progress from an old church basment entry to a modern, ADA-compliant school entrance.

Before.

During demolition.

Here it is with the concrete walls freshly poured.

Here, the railings are being installed.

And here it is that first summer, looking quite lovely.

Thanks for joining me in the wayback. Have a super Wednesday!

Wayback Wednesday: 2002 - Field trip to Horticulture Park

We're keeping things simple on Wayback Wednesday this week with a short and sweet little collection of photos from October, 2002. Teacher Judy West took the children of the Red Oak class on a nature hike to Purdue's Horticulture Park to enjoy the crisp morning, collect leaves, and hug some very deserving trees.

Berries for collecting, not for eating.

Making a bark rubbing.

Waiting for the chipmunk to make an appearance.

Do you have favorite photos you would like to share on Wayback Wednesday? Please contact me at heather@msgl.org. Have an outstanding Wednesday!

Wayback Wednesday: 2000 - The Walls Go Up

Let's recap our Building MSGL series on Wayback Wednesday. Montessori Parents, Inc. purchased the Calvary Baptist Church on Soldiers Home Road in 1999. Demolition of the interior began in September, 2000. Now it's December, 2000 and the stud walls are in place so that wiring, plumbing, and drywall work can begin.

Looking toward the Oak Room in Building B.

Standing in Catalpa looking through the wall into the Oak Room.

Looking out the door of the Maple Room into the office hallway.

Here's the view walking in the office door.

Here's that same view just a couple of months later.

This is the Maple Room looking toward the stairs.

This is the Willow Room looking toward the kitchen area.

And here is the Spruce Room filled with drywall supplies.

The Harvey & Son Construction crew. Steve, Don, Nolan, and Tony working over Thanksgiving Break.